Last weekend was SF Carnaval in the Mission. The parade starts at 9:30 (usually later), but the interesting parts happen before, around 8:00-8:30 when the performers and floats are preparing for the event.

Of course, with each passing year more and more photographers show up early for this unfettered and intimate access to the show. By 8:30, at 24th and Harrison, there were so many photographers roaming around I felt sorta dirty. I was part of this mob of dudes, trying to get in my shots of the girls. If you asked someone to pose for a portrait, there would be other guys behind you taking the same shot from nearly the same exact point. I felt like I was just part of this flock of greedy image-grabbers.

I’m also out of practice with my Crown Graphic. It’s such a fun camera (except, frankly, for all the photographers who stopped me to ask about it) for an event like this. When you handle a variety of cameras, you do sorta get in the groove with one. After a long period of absence from it, you lose it. It takes a while to get it back. This is especially true for the Crown Graphic.

I spent most of my morning with other photographer friends, which makes up for the bad feelings that started my day.